Going for a sandwich on a rather flingy whim didn’t necessarily prepare me for the requisite mile end arty-collage space that I should have seen coming. I’ve only lived here in this neighbourhood for how long? (Galleries are actually a place to get pizza, I’m pretty sure). True to form, Tachido is home to a mass mural from the same people who decorated l’Espace Go, to our latent osmotically gained hipster-vibe delight, and even more knick-knacked curios lit up with fairy lights all over the tiny sandwich shop – the new resto on Parc street, but already proving to be a laid back hangout for randoms of all types. Laid back randoms, anyway.

But dear, sweetie, how was the food? Tachido serves food, right? Mexican kinda sandwiches, involving the usual suspects of black beans, pork, chicken, cheeses, guac and hot sauces, AND gluten free options, if that’s something you care about. They have fresh juices (agua fresca), of which a melon kind we partook. I liked it, but I’m a sucker for melon anything, and it kinda pink-efied the meal a bit and I don’t care if it’s winter, I’ll refreshen up anytime!

We got some cheap sandwiches, a pulled pork torta sandwich on fresh housemade bread, and a huitlacoche (mushroom, corn and cheese) quesadilla, also housemade. A little deal for the side is a hot pot of spicy black bean sauce/soup and a couple of hot sauces in red and green for about 3$, and I pretty much insist that you add this onto the order. Reasoning for this is that while the food is fresh, hot, healthy and inexpensive, it isn’t outlandishly… shall we say, flavourful. A shot of the saucy sides fixes that up okay.

They serve beer and cocktails (margaritas!), and get coffee from Toi, Moi & Cafe up the street, which probably means that there is at least a decent selection of brew (I haven’t been there in years but I remember a dizzying array). They also have homemade pastries, and if I’d known that at the time I’d be just that much closer to being entirely made of sugar than I am now. They’re probably good, judging by the bread (which is good, really).

+ points for the decor

+ points for the vegetarian/gluten-free/kid friendliness of it all

– points for normal tasting food (replace the mozza-type cheese with some real face-punching salty queso, and THEN we’d be talking!)

+ it’s such a family-run place – we talked to the guy running the show that day and he explained to some depth his brother’s toy-and-oddity fascination

+ Tacorama Fridays after 9pm! I can only imagine the joy of that. Woah, hey, dudes, now we have TWO late night taco places in the mile end! Sweet.

****** SPECIAL BREAKING EDIT/UPDATE !!!!!!!!!!

OMG.

So, you know how I ordered a huitlacoche quesadilla? I knew it was a mushroom. I didn’t know it was also called CORN SMUT!